Apple says its updated Maps are rolling out across the US, with more detailed visuals and new features like Look Around, and coming to Europe later this year
Apple's updated and more detailed Maps experience has now rolled out across the U.S., the company announced this morning.
TechCrunchSarah Perez
Context & Ripple Effects
This closes a chapter Apple opened in 2018, when Eddy Cue described a ground-up rebuild of Maps meant to let Apple own its entire map stack the way Google does. The completed U.S. rollout is the first proof of that rebuild at national scale, with Look Around giving iPhone users a native answer to Street View.
The competitive frame was set by the MacStories comparison of the iOS 13 Maps overhaul against Google Maps, and by Google's answer months later — a detailed-maps update of its own for SF, NYC, and London. Europe is the declared next front, and the related coverage shows Apple following through there with a UK launch later that year.
First-order effects
U.S. iPhone users immediately get more detailed visuals and Look Around, removing one of the most-cited gaps versus Google Maps flagged in the iOS 13 comparison coverage.
Google Maps faces direct feature parity pressure in its largest rival's home market, right after its own detailed-maps refresh raised the baseline for both products.
Second-order effects
As Apple internalizes the map stack Cue outlined in 2018, third-party data and imagery suppliers that fed the old Maps lose a marquee customer, while Apple gains control over update cadence and cost.
Apple's promised European rollout forces Google to defend markets like the UK, where the related coverage shows updated Maps landing within months of the U.S. completion.
Third-order effects
If the pattern holds, consumer mapping consolidates into two vertically integrated stacks — Apple's and Google's — with each owning collection through presentation, raising the bar for any remaining licensed-map competitors.
Owning the stack positions Apple to extend Maps beyond the phone, as later coverage of Look Around arriving on Apple Maps on the web suggests, turning maps into cross-platform infrastructure rather than an app feature.
The trend: Consumer mapping is consolidating around fully self-owned data stacks at Apple and Google, with rollout cadence in new regions becoming the competitive scoreboard.
love seeing apple maps get better; apple has a huge advantage over google: they don't need maps to tie into an ad platform / generate revenue / become a social network, they just need accurate, fast, easy to use maps https://techcrunch.com/...
Pitch: Maps with privacy. And so perfectly put. Waiting for this to be launched in India. Apple delivers a new redesigned Maps for all users in the United States. https://www.apple.com/...
Can't wait to get Apple's new Maps here in Rome. The quality of Google Maps' turn-by-turn directions has gone down considerably for me over the past two years with some *highly* questionable choices. I also prefer Apple's design. https://www.apple.com/...
Don't love Apple sitting on another tech domain, but hell if I'm going to give my travel and location data to Google. Apple Maps used to suck, but now it's actually good (in the US). If its been a while since you tried, you should give it another shot. https://www.apple.com/...
Apple maps has now finished its update in the United States with redesigned Maps, faster and more accurate navigation and comprehensive views of roads, buildings, parks, airports, malls and more, making it easier and more enjoyable to map out any journey. https://www.apple.com/..…
Apple released its Maps redesign to everyone in the US (story by @sharatibken) — It's hard to match Google (note how limited Apple Look Around is vs Street View) — It doesn't have to beat Google, only be good enough to keep users from fleeing https://www.cnet.com/...
This is enabled by the cars that I detailed in my original piece doing 3D passes of everything concurrently with images and textures. This enables Apple to continue to “plus” these maps with new stuff like look around and other layers without “app updates” https://techcrunch.com/…
The new Apple Maps effort that I profiled in 2018 is now shipping to the US, with Europe on the slate for this year. Huge effort, massive improvement. https://twitter.com/...